Why We Need Issue 3

Like many of you, I have heard the recent debate over Issue 3 with interest. Healthy skepticism is important whenever Arkansas voters are asked to amend our Constitution. We should ask tough questions about how a proposal will affect our communities and our taxpayers.

But after serving as mayor and working every day to create jobs, improve neighborhoods and compete for investment, I believe Arkansas communities need the opportunity Issue 3 could provide.

Issue 3 is not about creating another layer of government or giving politicians unchecked authority. It is about giving Arkansas communities access to economic-development tools that communities across the country already use to compete for jobs and investment. For cities like West Memphis, economic development isn't an academic exercise. It is something we deal with every single day.

We don't just compete with Little Rock or Jonesboro. We compete with Memphis, Southaven, and communities across the Southeast that are working aggressively to attract employers, redevelop properties and invest in their communities. When Arkansas enters that competition without comparable tools, we are asking our communities to compete with one hand tied behind their backs.

That's not a position I want West Memphis—or any Arkansas community—to be in. The critics of Issue 3 have raised legitimate questions about oversight, transparency and the possibility of abuse. Those questions deserve to be taken seriously. But the answer to the possibility of abuse is accountability. It is transparency. It is putting appropriate safeguards in place. It is not refusing to give every Arkansas community the ability to compete.

The people who live and work in West Memphis understand our community better than anyone sitting in Little Rock. We know where investment is needed. We know where infrastructure needs to be improved. We know what our businesses need to grow and what our residents need to have more opportunities. The same is true in every community across Arkansas.

Maybe a town needs a grocery store. Maybe it needs to redevelop a vacant property. Maybe an existing employer needs infrastructure to expand. Maybe an economic-development opportunity comes along that requires a tool our community doesn't currently have. Why shouldn't local leaders have the ability to consider those options?

And let's be clear about taxes. Issue 3 does not impose any new taxes. It gives local communities the authority to draft the rules for economic-development programs and districts. The details—including appropriate safeguards and how any district could be financed—would have to be addressed through legislation.

That means taxpayers should expect transparency and accountability. They should know what is being proposed, why it is being proposed and what public benefit is expected. As mayor, I am comfortable being held accountable for those decisions.

What I am not comfortable with is telling West Memphis that we cannot even compete because Arkansas has chosen not to give our communities the same options available elsewhere. We have seen what strategic investment can accomplish in West Memphis. We have worked to improve infrastructure, revitalize neighborhoods and attract employers because we have been willing to think beyond the status quo.

But economic development doesn't stop. The competition keeps moving.

When a company is deciding where to locate or expand, it can look across the river, across the state line or across the country. We need to be able to put our best foot forward when that opportunity comes.

That's what Issue 3 is about. It isn't about asking the state to pick winners. It isn't about forcing every community to create an economic-development district. And it isn't about giving politicians a blank check. It is about giving Arkansas communities the ability to compete.

West Memphis has always understood that we are part of a larger regional economy. Our future depends on our ability to attract investment, create jobs and give our residents opportunities right here at home. We should not voluntarily put ourselves at a disadvantage. We can have local control and accountability. We can have economic-development tools and transparency. And we can give communities more options without requiring them to use those options.

After years in local government, I believe decisions about local economic development should involve the people who will live with the results. Let West Memphis decide what makes sense for West Memphis. Let other Arkansas communities do the same.

Because when we are competing with 48 other states for jobs, investment and opportunity, Arkansas communities shouldn't have to fight with one hand tied behind their backs. I’m voting yes on Issue 3.